Perfect Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries

You may remember from a few weeks ago that I made Travis Dark Chocolate-Covered Strawberries for Valentine’s Day.

Over the last few years, I’ve made these strawberries numerous times and they are secretly SO easy. Even though Valentine’s Day is over, there is no reason you can’t make these for another occasion – that is why I wanted to share them on the blog today.

I love Chocolate Covered Strawberries because are a relatively healthy dessert and this version is made with just TWO ingredients, so they come together in no time!

The biggest trick to perfecting your strawberries is all in how you melt the chocolate. For years growing up I watched my mom melt chocolate in her fancy glass double boiler.

(Stock Image)

In college she bought me my own double boiler, but when I was packing up my things to move across the country to LA, I decided it was just too big and not worth shipping. I’ve survived the last year and a half without one because of one very nifty trick that I will show you today.

The purpose of a double boiler is to melt chocolate slowly without burning it. If you melt it too quickly (i.e. in the microwave or directly in a pot on the stove) then you will run the risk of nasty burnt bits that won’t look very appealing on your strawberries. With a double boiler the steam from the simmering water below the chocolate is what causes it to melt, as opposed to direct heat.

If you don’t have a double-boiler at home, here is what you do:

First, find a small sauce pan and a glass dish. The base of the glass dish must be large enough to SIT ON TOP of the sauce pan without falling in. Fill the sauce pan with 2 inches of water, place it on the stove and bring the water to a boil.

Once the water boils, bring it to a simmer and place the glass dish on top of the sauce pan. Put the chocolate in the glass dish and stir the chocolate constantly until it is melted.

Constant stirring ensures that the chocolate closest to the bottom of the dish does not burn. Your goal is velvety-smooth chocolate.

Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, remove it from the heat immediately.

You must move quickly here because you cannot let the chocolate harden, which will happen if you allow it to sit for awhile untouched.

Next, pick up your washed strawberries by their stems. Dip them in the chocolate, twisting in a circle as you remove them to ensure that the chocolate coats all the way around the strawberry. Lay the dipped strawberries on a large plate or dish lined with wax paper.

That’s it! Then you just let the strawberries cool and harden at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Good luck waiting. They sure are tempting…

Store the strawberries in the fridge so they do not melt. I think they taste delicious cold!

You can make these strawberries for someone special or you can make them just for yourself! Everyone needs to spoil themselves once in awhile, am I right?

Wash and dry your strawberries thoroughly with a paper towel. The chocolate won't stick if they are wet. Put aside.

Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate until it smooth and velvety, stirring constantly. Immediately remove the chocolate from the double boiler.

Pick the strawberries up from their stems and dip them in the melted chocolate, twisting as you remove to ensure the chocolate coats all sides. Place the dipped strawberries on a large plate lined with wax paper. Allow the strawberries to cool and harden for 30 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.

Chocolate-covered ANYTHING is my favorite, and strawberries are definitely up there. Thanks for the method for double-boiling. I usually cheat and YES–do burn my chocolate, or otherwise have to take out my massive fondue-maker (which I foolishly decided was important enough to take up two square feet of space in my tiny apartment hahah… #priorities ).